


By Tooth and Paw

by roryteller



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-08-28 02:55:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8428702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roryteller/pseuds/roryteller
Summary: Alex thought being a werewolf would come in handy, and it does, but it also causes a lot of problems, now that she doesn't have a pack. She's about to find herself a new kind of pack, though, and new uses for her powers.
Snippets from a world of magic and aliens. Eventual Supercat and Detective Danvers... tags to be added as characters appear.





	1. Present Day - Dog Park

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks [Reese](http://yokothetypo.tumblr.com/) for betaing.

Alex’s nostrils flared as she took in all the scents of the city—car exhaust, cut grass, tar, Mexican food, pizza… she trotted along at the end of the leash, wishing Kara would hurry up, already—they were almost to the dog park, and there, she could finally run free.

But instead of hurrying, Kara slowed down, then stopped completely. Alex yanked at the end of the leash, but Kara wouldn’t budge.

“Cat! What are you doing here?” asked Kara, turning a bright smile on her former boss.

Alex would have rolled her eyes, had she been in human form. As a wolf, she settled for whining.

“My mother insisted on meeting us here. She has a new pet—one of those ornamental little annoyances—and insists it needs the fresh air, even though she won’t let it off its leash for even an instant, lest the big mean hounds eat it right up.”

“Kara!” said a boy, walking up from behind Cat. “I didn’t know you had a dog!”

“Hey Carter! She’s not mine, I’m dog-sitting. For, um, my sister. She’s called, uh, Sasha.”

“She’s beautiful… she almost looks like a wolf, except for the color. Can I pet her?”

“Sure,” said Kara.

Alex decided to play along, and walked over to Carter, giving him a sniff. Detecting nothing amiss, she lowered her head for him to scratch.

Which he did, firm but gentle, and she found her tail wagging, to her surprise.

“I think she likes you,” said Kara, her surprise mirroring Alex’s.

“Carter!” The voice came from an older woman, who strode up the sidewalk, accompanied by an absolutely minuscule chihuahua. “Get away from that horrible creature this instant!”

“Really, mother,” said Cat, who hadn’t moved any closer to Alex, merely watching her son, “there’s no need to yell. He’s in no danger.”

“No danger? That thing must be at least half wolf!” Katherine Grant put her hand on Carter’s arm, as if to pull him away from Alex, while leaning back as far as she could, as if afraid Alex might bite.

Her dog, however, had no such worries, and trotted over to Alex.

She lowered her head and sniffed him, then gave a little bark of greeting.

That, however, proved entirely too much for Katherine Grant, who yelped and snatched up her dog.

“Did you see that? He tried to eat Fido!”

“Sasha’s a girl, and she wasn’t trying to eat him, she was just saying hi!” protested Carter.

Katherine wasn’t listening. “That thing is a menace! I’ll see that you get banned from this dog park!”

With that, she practically ran into the park.

“Um, should we stop her?” asked Kara.

“I’ll testify on Sasha’s behalf, if I have to,” said Carter staunchly.

“I’m sure you will,” said Cat with an indulgent smile, “but I doubt she’ll get very far. If I’d known all that it took to scare her away was a large dog, I’d have gotten one years ago, much as I dislike the slobber.”

Cat looked at Alex appraisingly, then looked over her shoulder into the dog park. “Well, I suppose we’d better go after her. Another time, perhaps.”

“Bye, Cat,” said Kara. She watched Cat for a long moment before heading into the park herself.

* * *

 

Alex shook herself as Kara shut the apartment door behind them. She let Kara remove her collar, then trotted into Kara’s bedroom to shift.

Shifting was always painful, and this was no exception—stabbing pains shot through Alex’s body as her bones reformed, and every muscle ached. Even her skin felt stretched, itchy, crawling as it reshaped itself over her body and as her clothes reappeared from… wherever they went when she transformed.

Normally, she’d be curious about that kind of thing, but in the moment, it felt better not to think about it.

Alex lay panting on the floor for a few moments, then stood, ran a hand through her hair, and looked in the mirror to make sure she looked okay before joining Kara in the living room.

Kara had taken off her glasses and was puttering around in the kitchen. She turned at the sound of Alex’s footsteps.

“You look awful. Want anything? Water? Food?”

“Thanks,” said Alex, rolling her eyes and sitting at Kara’s kitchen island. “And yeah, both. That would be great.”

Kara poured her a glass of water and set it in front of Alex. “Why do you keep doing this, when it takes so much out of you? Not that I mind.”

Alex took a swig and watched Kara assemble sandwiches for a moment. “Because… supposedly, the more I shift, the better my control will be… even on the full moon. I don’t want that to keep being such a hassle.” _Although even this is causing problems…_

“I don’t mind, if that’s what you mean,” said Kara as she finished putting one sandwich together and moved onto the next.

“Not even the first time?” asked Alex.

“Well…” said Kara. “I mean, I did have to physically stop you from trying to run out the door… or the fire escape… but I didn’t mind.”

“Really? Not at all?”

Kara set a plate in front of Alex and sat down across from her with her own food. “Well, maybe a little, in the moment. But in the morning I was just glad I could be there for you. And after everything you’ve done for me…” Kara shrugged. “Helping you out once a month isn’t such a big deal.”

Alex took a bite out of her sandwich, blinking hard. The sandwich was roast beef, and pretty thick—she always craved protein after a shift, and Kara knew it.

“Plus, you are like, super fluffy, which is kind of awesome. And how many people get to play with a wolf once a month?”

Alex snorted and shook her head. “That’s _were_ wolf, as if I needed to remind you. I should stop playing with you just for that.”

“Please,” said Kara, “you totally enjoy it. You should have seen your face when Carter scratched you behind the ears.”

“You’re one to talk. You act more like a puppy around Cat Grant than I _ever_ do—and I have four legs at least once a month!”

“I do not!” said Kara.

“Do too. You’re not even her assistant anymore, but you’d go running to her in an instant if she called.”

“…because she’s still technically my boss?” said Kara, but she sounded uncertain.

“Nuh uh,” said Alex, waving what was left of her sandwich at Kara. “You don’t get to use that excuse anymore. Snapper Carr is your boss now, and James is his, until Cat returns. No, for reasons that I will probably never understand, you’re ridiculously loyal to her.”

“You don’t know her,” said Kara. “She’s amazing.”

_Maybe I should go easy on her. After all, Cat saved a lot of people during Myriad._ Alex let her expression soften. “You’re right, I don’t know her, and I know she’s been a mentor to you. Maybe I’d have a different opinion if I did know her. But! That doesn’t change the fact that I had to watch my baby sister act like some kind of ridiculous! Kryptonian! Puppy dog today.” Alex punctuated her words by poking Kara in the shoulder.

“Well I had to watch my big sister act like an actual werepuppy, so fair’s fair,” said Kara.

“Oh, you _had_ to, huh? Here I thought you enjoyed it.”

“That doesn’t explain you cozying up to Carter!”

“He gives good scratches, okay? Don’t be jealous.”

“I’m not—why would I be jealous? That’s ridiculous!”

Alex raised her eyebrows and swallowed the last bite of sandwich. “I know that look. You’re jealous.”

Kara rolled her eyes. “Whatever. It’s just weird to see you like that.”

“Like what? As a wolf?”

“No, all… affectionate. I mean, you’re like that with me, but… do you even hang out with your college friends anymore? Do you _have_ friends at the DEO? If you do, I don’t see it. I mean, not that I have to! I don’t need to know your friends, I just… want to know you’re happy.”

Alex had never been much good at dealing with people worrying about her, or at opening up… even to Kara. So she just smiled and said, “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”


	2. Two Years Ago—Full Moon

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to count on your sister for this, Agent Danvers? The DEO could hold you, if you lose control.” Hank seemed genuinely concerned—there were moments, now and then, where his stern facade seemed to relax a bit, and he showed signs of caring about his agents. This, apparently, was one of them.

Alex shook her head, suppressing a shiver at the idea of spending the full moon alone, trapped in one of the DEO’s impersonal glass cells. “She already knows I’m a werewolf, and I can’t hurt her. Besides, maybe having her around will help.”

* * *

 

“Hi!” Kara, glasses off, hair down, and casually dressed, looked a lot more cheerful than Alex felt as she opened the door to her apartment.

Alex had brought a duffel bag with toiletries and a change of clothes. She set it down on the kitchen island and wiped her hands on her slacks. She knew it made her look nervous, but in fact, she was  _terrified_ .

She unzipped her bag and extracted a plain metal flask. “Promise me something. If you need to, give me this.”

Kara took it and unscrewed the cap, wrinkling her nose at the smell. “Ugh! What is it?”

“That’s what I’ve been taking for the last six months. It tastes as bad as it smells.”

Kara put the cap back on. “But will it even work, if you’ve already shifted?”

“I… don’t know. But it’s the only backup plan we have. So, promise me.”

Kara nodded tightly.

“Thank you,” said Alex, and she didn’t just mean the promise.

For six months, ever since her relationship with her werewolf ex-girlfriend had deteriorated to the point of no longer spending time with her pack, Alex had been suppressing her full-moon shifts with the help of smelly potions purchased from a tiny, disreputable, and probably illegal shop that catered to the supernatural set. But with her new job at the DEO, Alex couldn’t afford to suffer the several days of pain and exhaustion that invariably followed.

So she’d called Kara. Asked if she would mind Alex staying over, keeping her company during the full moon and stopping her from doing anything stupid, running away through the city or attacking anyone.

She trusted that Kara would succeed at that, one way or another, but that didn’t change the fact that this was the first time she’d shifted in months, the first time she’d  _ever_ shifted during the full moon without a pack to keep her in line.

So yeah, she was terrified.

She pulled out a package of raw beef, a cheap cut that had been on sale at her usual market, and carried it to the fridge. “This is in case I get hungry, later. No need to cook it or anything.”

“Um, okay. Should I put out a bowl of water? You’re going to be a wolf for hours, right?”

“Yeah. Moonrise is a bit after 8:30, so I’ll be shifted until sunrise, unless you have to use that potion.”

“You’re really worried, aren’t you?” Kara’s smile had disappeared, and she reached out to touch Alex’s arm. “It’ll be fine, I believe in you.”

Kara’s trust stung, a bit, now that Alex was working for the DEO and hiding so much from her. It made her feel guilty, rather than reassured. “I’m glad, but Kara, you don’t know what it’s like. Heck, I don’t know what it’ll be like. What  _I’ll_ be like.”

“Maybe I don’t understand, but I’m here.” Kara hugged Alex, a bit harder than usual, not hard enough to hurt but hard enough it would probably have been stifling, had Alex still been completely human, and Alex hugged back with all her strength.

“I don’t even know if I’ll know you. Recognize you,” said Alex, pulling away. “I don’t want that to come as a surprise. I mean, I knew my pack, but they were wolves too… I might be scared of you. Or aggressive. I probably won’t be able to think clearly.”

“I guess I um, completely misunderstood what this would be like, and this seems kind of inappropriate now, but I did get some things…” She disappeared into her room and came back carrying a bag from one of the local pet stores. “I have, let’s see, I have bowls…”

“Well, that’s probably a good idea.”

“And um, a few toys.” She pulled some out—by Alex’s guess, a few meant a half dozen or so.

“Kara…” Alex facepalmed. “I’m not a real puppy, you know that, right?”

“I know, but you’re so cute with the fur and the paws and stuff, and I thought maybe it would help if there was something to do, and… I’m sorry.” She started putting the toys back in the bag.

Alex watched for a moment, then shook her head. “Actually… I can’t believe I’m saying this, but that might not be such a bad idea.”  _Maybe I need to keep myself busy._ The pack used to drive out into the countryside before a full moon, to have space to run.

Kara perked right up at that. “Oh! Then, if you end up playing with them, can I take pictures?”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “Now you’re pushing it.”

* * *

 

A little before 8:30 PM, Alex looked down at her watch for the umpteenth time that night. But this time she sighed and took it off, setting it on the coffee table. “Well, it’s time. You don’t have to watch, but I think it’s best I have company for this. Just in case.” She stood, stretched, and pulled her phone and keys out of her pockets. “It’s a little early, but it might be easier if I do this intentionally…”

“Go ahead,” said Kara. “I’m ready.”

So was the apartment—water bowl filled, food bowl still empty, but clean, ready to be filled. Toys on the floor, easily accessible. Doors and windows locked. The flask of potion sitting on top of the fridge, where Kara could easily get it up Alex would be unlikely to accidentally knock it over.

Kara had actually been looking forward to this—spending time with Alex, helping her out… getting to pet her… until Alex had explained her concerns.

Now Kara was just nervous. Not nervous that Alex would get away, or hurt someone—Kara was more than fast and strong enough to prevent that—but that Alex might be wild, might treat her like a stranger. And worse, that she might have to hurt Alex to stop her.

Kara didn’t watch Alex shift, but she didn’t have to—she could hear the sounds of bones shifting, creaking and snapping, of muscle flowing.  _Rao, that has to hurt._

As soon as the noises stopped she turned to look, and there stood a largish wolf, mostly reddish-brown but with a lighter belly, and a small gray patch on one foreleg that matched the scar on Alex’s arm.

She looked up at Kara, cocking her head to one side, for a moment. Then she blinked, her eyes widened, and she bolted for the door.

_Oh, no you don’t!_ With her powers, Kara reached the door long before Alex could, blocking it with her body.  _Not that she can open it._

Alex skidded to a stop on the wood floor, almost comical in her surprise, looking more confused dog than wolf with her head tipped to one side.

Then she made a dash for the fire escape, but Kara was too fast once again.

This time, instead of looking confused, she bared her teeth and began to growl, ears nearly flat against her head as she approached Kara.

Kara had a fleeting memory of a summer camp counselor telling them how to deal with wild animals—make yourself look big, and whatever you do, don’t corner them.

She’d just cornered what might as well be a wild wolf.

 

Alex advanced on the girl that kept blocking her path, growling. She needed to get out, out of this small place, away from the city with its noises and smells and run! Feel dirt under her paws, the wind on her fur, maybe kill something and eat it, and no human was going to stop her.

_Human?_ She took a sniff.  _Not human. Familiar._

 

Kara widened her stance, trying to look as big as possible. Sure, Alex probably couldn’t hurt her, but she really didn’t want to fight her.

“Come on, Alex…”  _If I can just get her to recognize me…_

But Alex kept advancing, footsteps soft, almost silent, a low growl rising from her throat.

And then she sniffed the air, and stopped in her tracks.

“Alex?”  _Please, please, remember who I am. Who_ you _are._

Hesitantly, Kara reached out to Alex…

…only for Alex to jump up and knock her to the floor.

 

Somewhere in Alex’s wolf brain, from beneath the pull of the moon which drove her to run, she recognized the girl’s smell.

_She smells like… a friend?_

Alex stopped and sniffed again.

_Yes, a friend!_

And Alex leapt, knocking the girl to the floor.

 

“Ugh, gross!” said Kara as Alex licked her in the face. She reached up to scratch Alex behind the ears while trying to wipe off some of the spit with her sleeve… to no avail as Alex just kept on licking. “Seriously, you can stop now!”

Kara could have pulled Alex away—even a werewolf had nothing on her Kryptonian strength—but she didn’t want to risk antagonizing her. Again.

* * *

 

Alex woke up with a start, her whole body aching. It was still early, the first rays of the sun barely hitting the city… she sat up, or tried to, and realized that though her mind was clearer than it had been, she was still a wolf, her body just barely beginning to shift back as the sun rose… she stood and shook herself.

Kara, who’d been lying on a couch, stirred. “Alex? What’s going on?”

_I’m okay,_ Alex wanted to say.

But instead she just barked, and trotted off to the bathroom to shift, hoping Kara would get the idea and wouldn’t follow her.  _We’ve got to figure out a way to communicate._

She shifted as quickly as she could, though the pain burning along her muscles and stabbing along her bones made her collapse to the floor. Her whine turned into a groan as her mouth and voicebox shifted back, and soon she was human again, lying on the bathroom floor, aching all over and feeling thoroughly sorry for herself.

“Alex? Alex, what’s going on?”

“I’m back,” said Alex. “It just hurts.”

As she spoke, the pain began to fade and she stood, then splashed a bit of water on her face. When she moved back into the living room, Kara was waiting just outside the door, fiddling with the ties on her pajama bottoms.

“So… we made it. How are you doing?”

“I’m fine, I think,” said Alex. “Tired. Probably need a shower. But fine.”

Kara’s nose wrinkled. “Yeah, go ahead and take that shower, I’ll figure out breakfast.”

Alex nodded, grabbed her stuff, and headed for the shower. She undressed mechanically, making note of her physical condition—tired, but none the worse for wear—and listened to Kara bustling around in the next room.

_Am I going to have to do this every month for the rest of my life? Or find a pack?_

She knew there had to be other packs in National City, and most weres would have started looking for one by now… but she was scared. Of being rejected again, or forced to split her loyalties even more—Kara, her job, her pack. And frankly, even though on good days it gave her an edge in training and would continue to do so whenever Hank actually let her work in the field, for the last six months she’d been treating her werewolf status as a nuisance to be ignored.

She didn’t want to think about her breakup. She didn’t want to make trouble for Kara.

The first full moon after splitting ways with her old pack, Alex had been tempted to let herself go. Just shift and run where instinct took her, not caring if she got hurt.

But she hadn’t. Even though every time she had to swallow the bitter blend that kept her human, she regretted it.

She’d thought actually going through with the change might be easier, at least if she could find a way to do it without hurting herself, or anyone else.

And she had. It was fuzzy, but she could remember deciding that Kara was friendly. Licking her in the face…  _ew._ Playing with the toys Kara had bought, eating at some point.

It had gone well. So why did she feel so… empty?

Alex shook free of her thoughts and stripped, then stepped into the shower.

* * *

 

By the time Alex rejoined Kara in the living room, she felt practically human again, though there was still a weight in her stomach, a heavy lethargy in her limbs, a feeling she recognized from the worst of her grad-school slump.

But she could smell food—eggs. Maybe she’d feel better after eating.

Alex sat down just as Kara set a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of her. She picked up her fork and poked at the eggs. “Are these even edible?”

“Shut up and eat,” said Kara. “You know I’ve gotten better at this.”

Alex obediently took a bite. In spite of her teasing, the eggs were fine—a bit bland, not very fluffy, but not at all burnt.

“See, it’s fine,” said Kara, digging in to her own heaping plate.

“Yeah,” said Alex, focused on getting them down. It felt like she couldn’t do more than one thing at a time—even one was pushing it, in terms of willpower.

“Are you okay?” asked Kara after a while.

Alex smiled as genuinely as she could manage, trying to draw on Hank’s lessons in lying. “Sure, just a little tired. I’ll feel better after food and coffee.”

Kara clapped her hands together. “Right! Coffee! I was going to get a latte at Noonan’s but I could make some now? Or you could come with me?”

Kara’s offer was genuine, Alex knew—not a deceitful bone in her body, in spite of years of lying about her identity—but Alex just couldn’t. Not right then. “Sorry, I’ve got to go straight to work. You know how it is.”

Kara grimaced. “Do I ever. I can’t imagine what Cat would say if I was late with her latte.”

Alex nodded and quickly finished off her eggs. “Thanks for everything. Sorry to jet like this.” She stood and pulled Kara into a quick hug.

“It wasn’t any trouble… at least not once you remembered who I was.”

_That’s just it, I didn’t. I knew she was friendly, but I still didn’t recognize her._ “Glad to hear it. Now, I’ve really gotta go, so…”

Kara quickly released her. “Go, go. I wouldn’t want to make you late.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alex's coping methods are as shitty as ever!
> 
> About the structure of this fic, in case it wasn't clear: it's going to jump around a lot, time-wise--I'm interested in this AU as a setting, more than as a way to tell a continuous story. No particular update schedule or planned end point, but there shouldn't be too many cliffhangers or anything, and I do have several more chapters planned.
> 
> Next chapter: Maggie Sawyer!


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